Nationwide ceremony in Windsor, Ont., marks eightieth anniversary of raid in Dieppe, France

A nationwide memorial Friday at Dieppe Gardens in Windsor, Ont., remembered Canadians who died 80 years in the past in a bloody raid in Dieppe, France.

Some veterans joined Ontario’s lieutenant-governor, and quite a few navy and political officers on the ceremony hosted by Veterans Affairs Canada. The Essex and Kent Regimental Affiliation, which misplaced 121 members within the raid, additionally participated.

Amongst these attending the ceremony have been veteran John L. Date, one of many final surviving members of the Dieppe raid.

Date was born on Feb. 1, 1922, in Sarnia, Ont. Quickly after he landed on the seashores of Dieppe, he was knocked unconscious from an explosion. When he got here to, the battle was over and he was taken prisoner by the German military. He would stay a prisoner of warfare till close to the tip of the warfare, when Allied planes dropped leaflets instructing the German military to give up to Date and his fellow prisoners.

Three members of the regiment have been at ceremonies in Dieppe, France, on Friday. 

• LISTEN|Reservists from the Essex and Kent Regimental Affiliation be part of Windsor Morning:

Fellow Second World Battle veteran Arthur Boon was additionally on the ceremony in Windsor. He was born on Nov. 12, 1924, in Peterborough, England, and now lives in Stratford, Ont.

Boon landed on the seashores of Normandy on D-Day. He pressured that whereas Dieppe was a catastrophe, it was an essential studying expertise for Allied troops.

“That is why the raid was on — to study that stuff, discover out the errors, and proper them once we return to Normandy.”

Nationwide ceremony remembers the raid

Theresa Sims, the Indigenous storyteller for the Metropolis of Windsor, drummed and sang a music of welcome to all these current.

Grasp of ceremonies Robert Löken delivered opening remarks, describing the state of affairs in Europe on the time of the raid.

Honorary Col. Joseph Ouellette, of the Essex and Kent Regimental Affiliation, additionally spoke, together with remembering the troopers who paid the last word worth.

Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens additionally addressed the ceremony.

Dilkens spoke of his expertise seeing veterans he had met the earlier night time, and touched on conflicts presently taking place world wide, together with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Now we have come so removed from these days on the seashore in France,” mentioned Dilkens. “And but, you’ll be able to name inform, now we have thus far to go.”

Stones that have been collected by troopers on the Dieppe seashore have been a part of the remembrance.

They’re the stones that bear the scuff marks of warfare boots; younger males, scrambling frantically to seek out some secure place on a seashore the place there was none.– Honorary Col. Joseph Ouellette

Löken, for example, was handed a stone by a soldier, making him mirror on its significance.

“I discover it troublesome to carry this and never take into consideration what everybody went by means of,” he mentioned.

The Act of Remembrance was delivered in English, French and Potawatomi. Morgan Lawrence and Alessandra Pietrangelo then delivered the Dedication to Keep in mind within the three languages on behalf of Canadian younger folks.

The music The Final Submit was performed at 12:52 p.m. ET, and two minutes of silence adopted at 12:54 p.m. The Rouse and The Reveille in addition to The Lament have been performed.

At 12:58 p.m., wreaths have been laid by Date, Kusmierczyk, Col. Bruno Heluin of the Defence Attaché of the French Embassy, Ontario MPP Andrew Dowie, Dilkens, Cmdr. Richard Hillier of the HMCS Hunter, in addition to members of the Essex and Kent Regiment and Regimental Affiliation. Lily Zitko, Faiha Alhussainawi, Emma Hennessy and Lila Ezwawi additionally laid a wreath on behalf of the youth of Canada.

Silver Cross Mom Theresa Charbonneau laid a wreath on the Silver Cross Monument on behalf of all Silver Cross Moms. Her son, Andrew Grenon, was killed whereas serving in Afghanistan.

God Save the Queen was performed and the ceremony ended with Löken thanking everybody who made it attainable.

‘One of the vital troublesome and tragic days’

Throughout the Dieppe raid on Aug. 19, 1942, the Allies initially deliberate to land on the shore below cowl of darkness, mentioned Veterans Affairs Canada. However the touchdown was delayed. Because the assault forces have been en route, they got here throughout a small German convoy. 

The sound of the battle between the 2 alerted a German coastal defence pressure, Veterans Affairs mentioned. Because the Allies landed, the enemy was ready. 

Canadians made up the vast majority of the troops within the assault, and 916 of 4,963 died. There have been 3,367 casualties altogether, together with 1,946 prisoners of warfare.

In an announcement on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned the Dieppe raid was “one of the vital troublesome and tragic days” for Canada in the course of the Second World Battle.

He referred to as it a “devastating setback,” however there have been classes that in the end led to victory over Nazi Germany.

“On at the present time, we pay tribute to the 1000’s of Canadians who made the last word sacrifice at Dieppe,” he mentioned. “I invite everybody to participate in a commemorative occasion to mark this solemn anniversary, and to honour the reminiscence of those that have defended our values of peace, freedom, and justice.”

A memorial at Sq. du Canada within the city of Dieppe remembers the Canadian contribution. The plaque reads:”On the nineteenth of August 1942 on the seashores of Dieppe our Canadian cousins marked with their blood the street to our ultimate liberation foretelling thus their victorious return on September 1, 1944.”